"Okay, I know we just met and all bro so I'm going to give you the rules," JJ says to Angelo with his arms on Angelo's shoulder as JJ looks into Angelo's eyes.
Angelo stands quietly and he listens to what JJ is about to say, in Angelo's head JJ wants to tell him something serious and he thinks it's about demons or whatever lurks in the shadows. Angelo's ready to listen to what he has to say so he can be ready for anything. He may have super strength and other angelic abilities, but he has to understand how to use those abilities.
Going with the half-human half-angel hybrids is an opportunity to learn more about demons and angels and nephilims. When JJ is about to tell him something about them, Angelo has to pay attention.
"Are you listening?" Asks JJ and Angelo nods his head. He is listening, this isn't math class where he decides not to listen and instead daydreams about winning a Grammy. This is crucial. More important, Angelo thinks.
"Okay, do not, I repeat do not do damage to my baby," JJ warns gesturing to the 1994 Black Jeep Wrangler that stands on the side of the road. Wendy laughs while shaking her head and Chris rolls his eyes in annoyance, he's impatient he just wants to leave already.
"Oh, uhm… okay." Angelo has got to say, he did not see that one coming.
"I don't want to see no scratches, no spilling of anything, no farting." He emphasizes on the no farting part.
"Just sit down and be careful. We aight?"
"Aight," Angelo says slowly. He thought JJ was about to explain the secret of the universe to him or tell him if a dybbuk will appear again but no, It's about his car.
JJ smiles and he slaps Angelo on his back. "Now we friends. Let's go, buddy." He spins around and heads toward the jeep.
"Finally," Chris mutters getting into the passenger seat while JJ takes the driver's seat. Angelo and Wendy sit next to each other at the back. As soon as Wendy shuts the door she turns over to Angelo. She still has that vibrant, real smile on her face that makes her look even more beautiful.
"You are going to love it there!" She assures him and she giggles in excitement. Angelo can only but smile at his new friend.
The feeling of someone being excited to live with them has warmed his heart. He never thought he'd find a home. He thought that he was going to live on the streets or break into a hotel and sleep for the night but no he's going somewhere where he could lay his head.
JJ plays some hip hop and he lets out a loud wail excited to hear the song. Angelo loves this song and Wendy loves this song as well.
California Love By Tupac.
While Chris has his head on the window looking outside. Angelo, Wendy and JJ are singing alongside the rappers of this song.
Angelo believes that friends can connect in so many different ways by cooking, cleaning, dancing or sky diving. But the best connection he can ever have with anyone friends or family is through music. There's something magical about people gathered together and singing a song that they all know. There's nothing but joy and happiness. Like what is happening in this car.
Angelo believes in the power of music because while he's rapping with his new friends he still keeps it at the back of his mind that he was attacked by a demon and there's a halo in his chest.
He still cannot believe it. Well, he can believe that miraculous things can happen to people because he was raised in a religious household where he was told to believe that demons, angels, witches and any supernatural creature exist among them.
That's why it hurt when his dad called him a demon because demons are vicious and evil. They were created to torture humans just like what that dybbuk was about to do to that lady. His dad had compared him to that thing.
At least these people don't think he's a demon. That's if they don't find out that he's gay.
But technically, he isn't a demon, technically he's an angel. But then again it wasn't God that turned him into an angel. He's an angel due to a thief breaking into heaven and stealing angelic halos from the Silver City and forcing it into dead people's chests bringing them back to life.
Angelo stops rapping and places his right hand on his chest. He should have known, his heart isn't beating because he has no heart. What is inside of it is an object used to create angels. He is now an angel because of it. He knew that he wasn't supposed to be alive. He knew that fall could have killed him. And it did.
He died, he actually died and was brought back to life by some bugler who wants war with God. Is God pissed off? Is he going to rip the halo off from his chest right then and there? If that were the case these Nephilims would not be taking him to their headquarters.
Or maybe this is a trap and they're taking them to the headquarters to remove the halo from him. And once they do that he's going to be dead, for real this time.
Angelo might have been suicidal before and he did kill himself but now that he's alive he wants to stay that way. Ever since he came back he feels different, he feels like flying and living.
He doesn't know where that feeling is coming from but now that he knows it's because he has an angel's halo in his chest he wants to continue living because he believes there's so much to do with his power.
"Damn bro, so you a Tupac fan?" JJ asks him. He quickly puts a smile on his face.
"Yeah, I am. Who isn't?"
"Okay, I like you more now homie" Angelo's smile widens. He loves to be liked, he loves it when people are comfortable around him.
"Thank you." And in all honesty, he likes JJ too because he thinks he's cool. He likes Wendy as well because she's nice. He does not like Chris because he's Chris. Angelo watches Chris as he looks out the window.
"What's his problem he doesn't like hip hop?" Angelo asks.
"Who Christopher?" JJ laughs. "Nah, he likes those boring ass classical musicals. Mozart and shit."
"They're not boring," Chris says defensively. It is the most he's said since they got into the car. "That is real music. This is noise."
Angelo scoffs and JJ and Wendy gasp. Wendy places her hand on her chest as if Chris has just forced her heart out and eaten it.
"You did not just say that," Wendy says in shock.
"Oh, I think he did," Angelo confirms.
"How dare you? How dare you say that Chris. You a racist?"
"Come on man why would I be racist? I just don't like hip hop."
"Sounds like racism to me," JJ mutters and Wendy and Angelo laugh.
"I just… ugh, whatever." Chris goes back to looking out the window.
Chris might be a snob but Angelo knows true beauty to look at. Chris is like a painting you can't take your eyes off of or a sculptor. Angelo stares at his face. It's a shame that he's the way he is.
And besides even if he wasn't a snob Angelo is a hundred per cent sure that he's into girls, if not girls then himself because he doesn't look queer at all.
Angelo thinks Chris is the kind of person who loves long drives and prefers it to the destination. With the way his head is resting on the door, he's thinking of a lot of things. Angelo wants to know what.
But Angelo realizes he has a lot on his mind himself.
He is an angel!
JJ has parked his car in the parking lot and they've all jumped out of the car.
JJ blows a kiss to his jeep. "I'll see you later mama." He walks away from it.
Angelo loves how passionate JJ is about his car. He thinks it's sweet, it's like having a dog.
JJ wraps his arm around Wendy and they walk side by side together.
"I suggest you walk faster, you don't want another demon attacking you." Chris jokes and a smirk forms on his beautiful face. Angelo scowls and watches as he walks away.
What is his problem? He thinks.
He follows the three nephilims to a large church. Angelo never thought he'd be here. But here he is following a bunch of creatures he thought were wiped off by the great flood in the bible.
But some survived, it seems.
They open the church door and they walk past a lot of pews. Angelo's eyes are on the beautiful stained glass windows and Jesus on the cross.
Angelo might have a rocky relationship with his religion but there's always something that fascinated him about the cross. It's not magic more like… everytime he looks at the cross he's being saved and is assured that everything is going to be alright.
He believes that everything's going to be alright.
The three nephilims do a cross sign of before walking away from the cross to the door. Angelo does it as well.
They go through a door that leads them to a dark hallway. The three of them stop and they face a wall. Angelo is confused as to why they all stopped but it's probably for a good reason.
"This is where the magic happens." JJ wiggles his eyebrows at Angelo then he places his right hand on the wall. A blue light dances up and down on JJ's hand and the wall.
Angelo watches and Wendy leans in over to him. "This is the best part," she whispers ecstatically and Angelo looks to see what's going to happen.
As soon as JJ removes his hand the walls open up. And JJ raises his hands in the air in a funny way as if he's opening the walls with his mind.
"Welcome to The Headquarters Of The Nephilim Knights," JJ announces then he enters. Angelo follows, and so does Chris and Wendy.
"Home!" Wendy sings and Angelo looks around him to see a lot of people dressed in black moving about. Some are holding shiny weapons while some just sit down talking.
Angelo doesn't know if it's the halo in his heart but being in here makes him feel home and welcomed.
He stops feeling that way when people start staring at him and whispering to each other as soon as they walk through that hidden door. They don't even hide that they're talking about him. Do they all know that he's an angel? Of course, they do. If these three know then who's to say they all don't?
Angelo leans in closer to Wendy.
"Are they all nephilims?" he asks her in a whisper.
She nods. "Mhm. All of them. We're all humans but we all have angel blood as well. Our ancestors weren't nice people."
"And that's why we do what we do now. We right the wrongs of our ancestors to protect humans instead of bully them." Angelo and Wendy look to their right and there's an older man, a priest with his arms behind his back as he smiles. "Welcome Angelo. We have a lot to teach you."